Quiet giants in our midst

It was a Saturday in late October 1987 - my first day as a Stocktonian.

Mike Klocke

It was a Saturday in late October 1987 - my first day as a Stocktonian.

Eager to learn more about my new city, I drove south on Interstate 5 toward the downtown area.

Past March Lane. Past Country Club Boulevard. Past Monte Diablo Avenue. And then ... what?

There they were off to the immediate west - two humongous ships.

"Over the years, a lot of people have had that reaction," said Tod Ruhstaller, executive director of the Haggin Museum. "People drive through here, see the ships and think to themselves, 'I thought we were inland.' Having an inland port is a unique and special part of Stockton's history."

I still drive south on I-5 to go to work each weekday. Invariably, I'll shoot a glance to my right at the Port of Stockton to see which ships are in port. This month alone, there will be vessels from China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Trinidad and other countries here.

You'd think that the Forbes folks, since the magazine does cover business, would know about the vibrancy of the port and the impact of these huge ships on Stockton. It certainly took some vision to bring us to this point.

"The city fathers teamed up with both state and federal officials for the Deep Water Channel to open in February 1933 - the worst month of the worst year of the Great Depression," Ruhstaller said. "Stockton always had been a transportation hub, but this helped make us an international hub."

Perhaps no one has captured the essence of the huge ships at the port as well as professional photographer Steve Pereira. As a young man, he crewed on a Finnish ship called the M.S. Vaasa Leader. He asked the chief mate if he could print a negative and it led to a career of making - not taking, an important distinction to Pereira - photographs.

His exhibit called "Deepwater Steel" focused on the huge ships that populate the Port of Stockton. The exhibit drew a lot of positive feedback when it was at the Haggin and a Bay Area museum.

"First off, the river is so beautiful by the port," Pereira said. "And when they're here, the ships are truly the biggest structures in all of Stockton. There are so many times of the day that the lighting is just so incredible. The conditions are so ideal to make photos."

Pereira's work as a longshoreman as a young man led to his fascination with ships, which then melded into his photography. His studio is located on Rough and Ready Island and he can look out at the Deep Water Channel.

"I was totally mesmerized by the sight and the sounds of the big ships when I was a longshoreman," Pereira said. "For so long, their presence here has been one of the heartbeats of Stockton."

Ruhstaller was not surprised by the impact "Deepwater Steel" had on museum patrons.

"Steve is a photographer, an artist and a mariner," Ruhstaller said. "When you marry all of those elements, there is going to be a passion in his work. That really came through in his exhibit."

The port's economic impact - $34 million revenues in 2010 - on Stockton is immense. The port does business with 55 different countries and contributes to about 4,500 total jobs, said Port Chief Executive Officer Richard Aschieris.

"The port does give a different personality to the city. There are not that many cities with ports, let alone inland ports," Aschieris said. "It helps bring an international flavor to Stockton."

Aschieris said he's heard many people comment about the aura of the big ships in Stockton.

"Basically, we can handle any ship that can go through the Panama Canal," he said.

Security measures have been tightened at all of the nation's ports, so it's difficult for the general public to get close to the large ships. But the port is once again hosting the State of the City address on Thursday afternoon.

"It's a great opportunity for a lot of people who've never been out to the port to get a closer look," Aschieris said. "We really appreciate being part of this community."

Contact Record editor Mike Klocke at (209) 546-8250 or mklocke@recordnet.com.